Means for connecting together the float and the sinker of a submarine mine.



E. SCHNEIDER. NECTING TOGETHER THE FLOAT AND THE SINKER 0F ASUBMARINE MINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 9. 1916.

Patented Oct. 23,1917.

MEANS FOR CON n it plicableto submarine mines' which are1n- TED STATESPATENT orn on.

EUGENE sonnnrnnn, or LE cnnuzor, FRANCE;

MINE.

a citizen of the Republic of France, residing at Le Oreuzot,France, haveinvented cer- 115, tain newyand useful Improved Means for Connecting Together the Float and the Sinker of a Submarine Mine,whioh is fully set, orth in thefollowing specification. 1 his invention has for its object to proyide improved means more particularly apiendedto be sown by'a submarine, and generally} to; mines which before being SGWIfiare attached to the mine-sowing vesseli by means of rollers or other members engaged; in rails or other guides carried by thefsaid vessel. H i 1 These. improved meansare designed on theone hand to assurea rigid connection of '20 th ifloat; to th ker up to the ns ant when, for casting off the mine, the mine is fdisengaged, from the rails or other guides that retain the sinker to. the mine-sowing i .vessel. 01.1 t e oth r an after this rigid ,connQOtiQn has been broken, the improved ineansare desig ed to allow a suitable length .ioztntime to. elapse: before separation takes :place between the float and the sinker. due f [tothe buoyancy of the float. This lapse of time allows for instance the float and sinker together to sink to the bottom at the sowaing" place before the anchoring cable commences to unwind. U My i Themanner in which this invention is to IIL-III of Fig. f themeans'for retard- 111g the separation. i y QFigA is-ayertical section ofa modified form of the improved retarding means.

As shown, A is the minefloat. B isthe sinker T;he sinker is provided on its sides with rollers G by means of which it is nor- .mallyheld and is; guided at the moment of :fisowias, Q1 milsR of h o giv ssel Specification of Letters Patent.

:be performed will now be more particularly .to release it fromthe mine-sowing vessel, the screw F will rub alonghthe mun; At

Ill/I nus r03 ooixmncrnwa TOGETHER THE FLOAT AND THE SINKER OFA sUBMARINE Patented Oct. 23, 1917.

a l cation filed December 9,1916. Serial No. 136,118.

The improved meansfor assuring a rigid connection of the floatA to the sinker '13. up to the instant when for the purpose of sowing the mine, the sinker is disengaged fronrthe rails It, consists essentially in a catch mechanism the internal or external parts of which are carried by the float, either directly or by any suitable support fixed to the latter, while the corresponding external or internal parts are carried by a swingtree arrangement which is adapted to be tilted and which is kept locked by one of its levers bearing upon the guide of the sinker or upon a separate guide This tilting swing-tree arrangement may inpractice consist of a simple bent lever or bell crank lever or equivalent device having a horizontal limb adapted to oscillatein the sinker or in the float, and having its inclined outer limb or limbs lockedby their bearing upon theguide rails." 1 f i y In the exampleish'own, the catch mechanism comprises, on the float, two external parts such as YeS The corresponding internal parts consist of hooks C fixed on the horizontal limb D of the benttlever D -E journaled in bearings 03 on the sinker.

The inclinedlimb E of the said lever, outside the sinker, bearswith its free end 6 by means of aroller or a set screw F, upon the guiderail R. e

It is obvious that an inclined lever such as E, may be provided at each end of the limb or axle Dc arryinjg' the hooks C.

On board the vessel, for the purpose of fixing the float to the sinker, it is sufiicient to screw. the screw F down upon the rail and to lock it by means of its lock nut. The

end of the screw may be formed with a head carrying a roller. V

When for the purpose of sowing the mine, the mine is pushed by means of' a known mechanism in sucha manner as to disengage it from thorails, and consequently the instant themine arrives at the end of this rail the lever E will be freed. Owing ,to its buoyancy the float will exert a pull upon the hooks .0, whereby the latter will be caused to turn and become disengaged from the eyes a. y

. The means for delaying the separation between the disengaged float and the sinker consists essentially of a cord: of suitable ileil thg efwhieh-bne nd is awa t, the

or engaged ith a pistoh 7 adapted te' iilo'i e v witlfislight' frifctionin izcylin der; fixed; gte; the sinker, the arrangement bei'ngsueh that? s the pressure upon the outer face of this pisbuoyancy tending the sinker; th 1 h iln ithet a v edid-J Iis'iat't'ahed directly: to the TpistQn Q teil Willi-act infloippositionto" the; force of to separate the float from isaction op'er'ates' only until e pist n-m the connection between the lat aIIc1-'th'e"c"( r V befattaehe'dtethe eye a 'carriedby 115 the "'fio at 'tofjwhieh th ere is also attached the sual anchoring ie'ablef which is Wound ontheiwindla'ssl. 'Inithe 'exampl sh w a in Fig, sjthaga J passes *th'roil'ghja gconduit K carried by the siiiker, san tit terminates in a'ball held we n w adapte I ind'ef" N formed or ifixed "f; sewing the, mine the williefiiain prevented frdiiisep'aratihgfsud-fi 'denlyiromf the; sinker unti1"'thefpist0n"O V I 'shaIl'havje-advanced"a 'suflieie it extentftobaII fJ t0 feseape. This ,balli'is 'guided hej @OIidlllt K until it passes :putfo'f the sinker, 5 TIn th *example' shewn Fig. 14',

the g'eparatienfis' delayed until the piston-Q It" is 'to be 'u'fiaerstood that the construe "fp iQ i t ben l ver w -E for .eq iv brjegliiyalent'deviee; t" is'itdlbeqinderstooil u of the-sinker,

' jTIt fis, a 1% ternalror 60 i- @d'efiee iand alsd'qf the internal or "external parts-bf thejcatch' meeha ismfmay be suita.

he he'ht lever fbell cra'rik lever 'inf the sinker, 'ibe j eurnaled in "-a fixed, t01 the float; In sil'eh a ease '61 external parts Carried: lever 1 "wb u e swba tea-fie external parts of the "ea-t'ehmecha I Z i' w.

is e b fii di b .Wpa t'- fi d to the dievi'ce'fer' delaying the separation,

61 is moved 'o'ut'of the said M that arepiveted atfm' djo slide with slight;

Opening and allowihg "from'theieylinde'r Nb.

device may, instead of ;being that .thefree'elids a d vid sgm yvbe f p n: SQP' Vi grate guide, instead W f hearing the mstanje'e these parts (if the catch;

. dewii ameni es 1' elaim as newand desire t6 s eeure hjLet terSPatentis:'f f 'fl J; cgmbination, a submarine mine adapted tqbe launched from a rhine sewing jvesseliali- 'ifiehiding afioat and a sinker, rails mounted o1; the yessel to; re ceivefsai'd mine, a tilting member carri'ed by iene ofs'ai'd'i mine p arts "and i-ha ii-1 1g; a. leaking engagenienfiwith said ethe'if imine --pa 1}t ,*-sai& member being n rm ny heldfin le'ckinp" it o by n a 91 mire-15S? [i225 Ii'l combination, "Ea hmai'ihe ih-i ne adaptedtohe laune'hetiifrom amine-Sewing 'VGSSBI IaIIC I including a"-fleat '}a nl a-sih kerg rails mounted 6n the Vesse1 te reeive 'said mine a" "tilting 1 meme emu-flea 103f ane -;et 85 eid" min ip rt i lfi fi i fig "e114,

gagementth s'ai d otheit mifie Ig SaIL'tQ-Gaid .,menib eri begll;g neifmallyhel iri loclci' ii sitio ibyi eligagingnneio'f said 1 ai1s',*a exihl conneetionibetweeh -the fleatia ici mker neerid' 6f whiehisffast were qf sajid mhie peslte end having; a releas withfthej "cdmpahidfx pa s. a dxt p able'fcemiection .parwnq m mine osit inounted on one of said mine parts and havin testimony whereof I have signed this 7 ing at one end a latch adapted to engage specification in the presence of two subthe companion mine part,,the opposite end scribing witnesses.

i of said member bein provided with an arm EUGENE SCHNEIDER.

5 having a set-screw earing on one of said Witnesses:

rails to restrain said latch from releasing CHAS. P. PBEssLY, the float. and sinker. ANDRE Mos'rroxnn.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

